Smelling a simcha: Surgeon pushing marriage with grants for nose jobs

(JTA) — A Jewish plastic surgeon in Miami has offered scholarships to Orthodox Jewish singles for nose jobs to help them land a spouse.

Dr. Michael Salzhauer, who is under an ethics investigation after commissioning a Jewish band to write a song about a Jewish teen with a big nose, recently announced his outreach program to help bring couples together — a program that CNN has dubbed "nose jobs for nuptials."

Salzhauer, 40, mandates that applicants must be referred by their matchmakers or rabbi, who must verify financial need. The patients must meet medical, aesthetic and psychological criteria as well in order to be eligible for surgery, CNN reported.

Salzhauer hired The Groggers, a Jewish punk-rock band, to write a song and make a music video that encourages plastic surgery in a bid to connect to a younger audience. Known as "Dr. Schnoz," he performed rhinoplasty on the band’s lead singer, L.E. Doug Staiman.

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons called the promotion "offensive and inappropriate."

A recent column in the Jewish Press calling for women to have plastic surgery in order to increase their marriage chances sparked a lively conversation in the Orthodox community.